'Viral' marketing spurs one-of-a-kind reunion

By Ross Tomlin

When scientists gather from around the world to recognize their common origin, the result is hardly the average reunion. Then again, Baylor College of Medicine's molecular virology and microbiology department isn't the average group of scientists.

In May, Janet Butel, Ph.D., chair of molecular virology and microbiology at BCM, and colleagues hosted the school's first reunion for the department of molecular virology and microbiology, bringing together past and present faculty members, trainees, and staff members. For some, the event marked the first time they had set foot on campus in over 20 or 30 years. During that time, more than a few things have changed.

"The old labs they remembered don't exist any more," said Butel. "They were amazed at how the campus has changed, how things have grown and how the medical center is so different now."

The get-together also recognized Matilda Benyesh-Melnick, M.D., founding member of the original virology and epidemiology department and widow of the late Joseph L. Melnick, Ph.D., chair of the BCM department from its inception in 1958 until Butel succeeded him in 1989. Butel credits the Melnicks for cultivating a unique camaraderie within the department that continues to this day.

"There are a lot of friendships that develop when people are here," said Butel. "The Melnicks were very good at making people feel welcome. People have stayed in touch even though they seldom saw each other."

Diversity of expertise

More than 100 attendees – many of them out-of-towners, including some from out of the country – showed up for the event's daylong scientific symposium, in which several BCM alums and faculty members spoke about their current lines of work.

• Jose Esparza, Ph.D. ('74), senior advisor on HIV vaccines for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and formerly of the World Health Organization, discussed his career-long focus on developing an HIV/AIDS vaccine and the need for a concerted global effort to control the disease.
• Bettie Graham, Ph.D. ('71), the first black student to be awarded a Ph.D. from BCM, talked about her role as an administrator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) while working on the human genome project.
• Joan Brugge, Ph.D. ('75), chair of cell biology at Harvard Medical School and member of the National Academy of Sciences, discussed her work on breast cancer. She is also one of Butel's former students.
• Kit Chan, Ph.D. ('87), a partner of the New York City-based law offices of Albert Wai-Kit Chan, credited his studies at BCM and subsequently in law school for a career in biotechnology patent law. Chan was in the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks.
• Wah Chiu, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry at BCM, demonstrated his cryoelectron microscopy 3-D image reconstructions of viruses.
• Kellogg Schwab ('99), Ph.D., associate professor of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, discussed modern techniques used in environmental virology for virus detection.

"People have gone in a variety of directions, but they are using the skills they learned here and are contributing in different fields in one way or another," said Butel. "It was very rewarding to see a gathering of such excellent, successful scientists, all of whom had links to BCM."

In Butel's mind, the quality and diversity of presentations affirmed BCM virology's reputation as one of the global leaders of the pack.

"What makes this place unique is the concentration of virologists in the same department," said Butel. "It has made for an outstanding training program because we have so many people working on different virus systems. There are not many places that can provide the breadth of virology experience that we do."

Feature presentation

Guests at the dinner that followed the presentations were treated to an unusual bit of entertainment – a movie produced by the department in 1970. ("We used to have very ambitious entertainment projects that we would create for our Christmas parties," said Butel.) That year, members of the department filmed a fictional comedy – in which the department experiences the highs and lows of securing federal funding. Many of its own – some of whom were in attendance at the reunion – played lead roles in the production.

In the movie, the NIH runs out of money and closes up shop. This prompts members of the virology department to go to outlandish lengths to keep their research afloat. An idea is hatched to sell food to raise money, whereupon oil is struck on their plot of farmland. Thus is born the profitable Virology Oil Company, and the department is back in business, researching happily ever after.

The movie, which also serves as a documentary of sorts in its depiction of vintage BCM and the Texas Medical Center, was a hit.

That begs the question: Is there any chance of a sequel?

"Oh, I don't think so," said Butel, laughing. "That was a huge effort. I don't think any of us has the energy to do another one."